Episode 4: The Great Fire of Rome

The Great Fire of Rome

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Did Nero really fiddle while “The Great Fire of Rome” destroyed two-thirds of the imperial capital in 64A.D.? Did Nero actually start it? He had a motive, historians say during this hour. They say he wanted to rebuild the city (and call it “Neropolis”), but that the Senate opposed him. “Perhaps,” says narrator Liev Schreiber, “Nero decided to smoke them out.” But British fire inspector Dave Townsend points out how the fire, which raged for nine days, could have spread naturally. And historian Gerhard Baudy makes the case that Christians---whom Nero himself blamed---could have fanned the flames.

Did Nero really fiddle while “The Great Fire of Rome” destroyed two-thirds of the imperial capital in 64A.D.? Did Nero actually start it? He had a motive, historians say during this hour. They say he wanted to rebuild the city (and call it “Neropolis”), but that the Senate opposed him. “Perhaps,” says narrator Liev Schreiber, “Nero decided to smoke them out.” But British fire inspector Dave Townsend points out how the fire, which raged for nine days, could have spread naturally. And historian Gerhard Baudy makes the case that Christians---whom Nero himself blamed---could have fanned the flames.